Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs, dressed in full regalia as they prepared to enter the Houston Community Hall, were surprised when TransCanada LNG pipeline and B.C. government representatives hurriedly left a meeting Monday. The meeting was organized by a group called the Wet’suwet’en Matrilineal Coalition.
The chiefs ceremoniously interrupted the meeting to extend an invite to their Bahlats, or traditional feast, in Moricetown on June 30 to discuss LNG and traditional governance issues. Chief Na'moks (John Ridsdale) said so far, they have not received a response from the provincial government nor the pipeline proponent.
"We elected to leave the meeting as it was our understanding that the issues to be discussed were governance issues among the Wet’suwet’en people and we didn't feel it was our place to stay. Our role was to present info about the project," responded TransCanada's Coastal GasLink spokesperson Shela Shapiro in an email.
Read the full story in the June 22 edition of The Interior News.